This was my very first Grateful Dead concert. I was 15 at the time. I have to admit I don't remember much of the first two sets, but the blotter was wearing thin as we rolled into the 3rd set and OMG the place was just LIT UP from Truckin' onwards. It just occurred to me recently to see if I could find this on-line. What a prize! Thanks the tapers and uploaders, etc., etc.!

Poor Eric 1 star. He just doesn't get it. He needs to try and like another band.

This is the concert I was born to....
AWESOME AND I LOVE IT. !

nice bass solos in eyes, nice drumming by Bill too, all good. 74 is great!

This show is nuts. One star? Listen to Truckin'.

This show is one of my favorites in 74. Download this show and listen to the whole thing it is killer and wont let you down. Be Merry and listen to the DEAD

Played through Yamaha Receiver w/ Direct source and 2 bi-wired Paradigm Monitor 9 speakers. This is this one best shows I have heard on this site. I listened to most of it and noticed from the start that Jerry sounded real into it, then I realized this is basically a birthday show for him. This is not always necessarily a good thing, as the previous year I believe they played on his birthday and it's a pretty sleepy show, not so here. Here they get it right. Phil is basically a catalist for this show. During the first set I feel like punching him in the face though, as he is basically playing lead bass guitar right over Jerry's vocals and everything. This is ok on say Eyes, but he is all over everything here which is pretty disruptive. In fact it sounded to me as if the band had been fighting backstage before the show. Almost an angry and tense feeling to the music, and kind of sloppy playing. Interestingly though, this leads to a high energy show, and once it starts to mellow out it gets really wonderful. Very experimental. Jerry plays his ass off on this show, and although a little sloppy, they really hit some cool stuff as a band, especially, ironically on some of the rock and roll numbers. Jerry pulls out his best tunes here in my opinion: China cat, Roses, Ship of Fools,Row Jimmy, Scarlet, Wharf Rat. As he announces a third set, you can tell he's really having a good time. This is a great Dead concert, no doubt. The band is really up, and you can tell they are having fun here, and this comes through in the music. Can't beleive this has not been released, although this could be due to Phil being off the hook at the start and the vocals drop out during BIODTL. The type of show that really leaves with a WOW feeling. 5 stars easy.

great, great, very underrated show. tons of hilites; sick scarlet opener, awesome versions of half-step>roses, china>rider, bertha, ramble, big river, ship, l.i.g. and uncle john's band. one of the best eyes of the year. and the truckin>mind lef body jam>spanish jam>wharf rat is pure bliss. the mlb jam is one of the best ever, imho; joyful, long and oh so sweet! thanks dr. flashback!

I cannot believe that I had not found this show until now. It could be the greatest show my ears have enjoyed in sometime. It is times like this I wish I had downloaded this SBD copy before they put a stop to it. Oh well, I guess I will just have to always be by my computer. The transitions from one song to another are silky smooth. The sound quality is one of the best I have heard. I give it 5 stars for set list and quality of recording.

WHAT A SHOW!!

Best songs: Eyes, To Lay me Down, China Doll, Wharf Rat.

Hell, the eyes alone is almost 18 and a half minutes long. For those that like the super long shows from 74' MINUS the seastones or drums- well, this one is for you. If it had a dark star it might be best of all time. Definitely 4.5 stars, so for generosity's sake, we round up to 5 stars. This show is SO LONG I'm not even sure you could fit it on anything less than three discs, Good ol' Grateful Dead at their best! The levels are simply perfect; what else could one want?!? Take care handling this one; it's super hot!

One last thing; the transitions are so seamless you might not even know what song you're on till' you're there! Take care!

(post copied to setlists.net!)

This was a killer 3-set Wall of sound show with an incredible set list!Jerry is scorching hot as wll as the rest of the band.CHECK THIS SHOW OUT. Also,FYI Jerry was clean shavin that day and Phil was sporting a full beard!ABSOLUTE TRUTH,I KID YOU NOT!I havent heard this show in its entirety since then but its sounds as great as I remember it.The best East coast show that I saw in '74.VIVA HARTFORD CT.!

Half-Step will make you dance for joy and weep tears at the loving, twangy ending.

China > Rider bounces effortlessly along with a beautiful Feelin' Groovy segue and an unbelieveable Bobby solo. Phil is dropping bombs all over the place. Listen to him complement as Jerry sings "North-Bound Traaaain!!"

Billy is also on fire. The way he changes gears as the band goes from Trucin > Jazzy jam > MLB Jam > Spanish Jam is unbelieveable. Like clockwork. Listening to that sequence always makes me feel the wondrous spiritual beauty in life. Listen, and you should too.

Check out the Weather Report>Let It Grow....amazing.

I once read a comment on here that Jerry solos better on Bobby songs. While I wouldn't say that is always true, he certainly rips on Let It Grow during this show.

Ramble on Rose is great until Donna gets in there and starts screaming her head off.

Definitely worth listening to.

It's the eve of Jerry's 32nd B-day and he sounds like he's loving life, with a playful, energetic, and creative performance throughout. The sound evokes images of the "salad-days" scenes from movies like Boogie Nights, Blow, and Rated X. The operation is booming, the party is roaring, fun in abundance...it almost seems too good to be true, but what could possibly go wrong.

Well...I suspect a long-term cost was paid by family and fans alike for burning candles like this so bright, so don't miss this perky, hot-fun-in-the-summertime show. It's light on deep, heady stuff but it stands tall with all the great summer party shows. Try this one at a 4th of July cookout or something.

Any wonder I came back 150+ more times? What a great time..... the start of a great ride.... Thank you Jerry.... for a real good time

The SBD is still available for download at the other site. Sound is OK. Good show.

been listening to this one for the last few days. definitely some of the best dead there is.

my favorite version of ramble on rose. jerry can improvise vocal melodies like no other. this is a PRIME example.

eyes of the world is just perfect. so warm and full sounding. truckin>mlbj>spanishjam is as good as it looks on paper. great weather report.

stream this, you wont regret it. make sure you hear ramble on rose :)

In the context of "Legendary" shows, this one probably doesn't show up on the radar, even though it is a mammoth of a show. When compared to many of the post-72 pre-hiatus shows, it proves its worth through a solid set list, diligent jamming and lack of dead spots. The jam-out of Trucking > Mind Left > Spanish is not a spectral masterpiece of acid euphoria but a subtle hummdinger of head nodding empathy - a wallflower that sparkles greatly if one knows where to focus the light. The Eyes > China combination is always powerful, even if the 'Stonger Than Dirt' segment is more ragged than usual. All of the shorter songs are played expertly and with emotion. I get the feeling this show could have been one of the "legendary" shows if there had been some major spark somewhere... instead we have a potential forest fire of smoldering proportions that, in contextual hindsight, is a more rewarding listen than a majority of '74 shows. Highly recommended. Worth downloading and listening.

Sarcasm I hope...
So this is a pretty interesting show. A very well done Scarlet as an opener. 74 Scarlets are kinda strane imo...seems like they know eventually its not going to end the way it does and of course we know whats to come post hiatus...all the same some of the pre-fire Scarlets are alot of fun. The Roses here was really nice as was the China Rider. The Around was kickin and on the verge of being a highlight. Jerry's voice kicks out on the bertha and the playing on it isn't all that great either. But the next segment is great. Big River...hmm through...well all of it..the rest of the show is awesome. The eyes isn't as tight as alot of 73 and later 74 versions but the tightness was sacrificed for the caused of walking the edge of the cliff for quite some time so all is forgiven-really interesting version. The china doll is sweet as usual. The Promised land is average as is Ship. The WRS segment is beautiful and the El Paso is suprisingly powerful. Same with the Ramble on Rose. This show really becomes an upper level show at about the 7:48 mark of truckin and proceeds to knock down the door, beat the crap out of the door's dad, and make out with the door's sisters.

Most of the show has perfect sound quality, but not all of it. a few first set bumpers make it a 4, but playing with a few nobs on your stereo could easily make it a 5.

This show has somehow escaped the accolades of other 74 giants but is a must-have in its own right. One of those shows where Jerry is very inspired and inventive in his approach to familiar songs. Check out the China>Rider transition. Not the familiar smoker of other shows but a very different, creative take led by old Jer. Half-Step as well has a unique twist on the ending. Let it Grow sports a strong Billy led attack with Phil "frills" on the climax.And yet another 73 Eyes that renders all post retirement versions obsolete.
If you've been grabbing all the '74 classics, now is the time to add this bad-boy to your stack.

I really like the playing in this show. No highlights, just high level tightness throughout. Marked down one star for pitch wavering issues on the recording through most of the 1st set.

I'm a big fan of 1969 and 1972, and I often make the mistake of underrating later 70's shows unless they have that mind-bending Owsley flavored jam somewhere in the show. This is one of those. I've gone back and forth on the merits of 7/31, but after repeated road tests,heh heh, I believe this one deserves a top spot. The Dead rarely played 3 sets in 1974 (see 2/22 and 6/16)and when they did it was usually for a reason - they were on! Jam-packed with good songs like Jack Straw, the unusual Half Step>Roses combo and another great 1974 Eyes>China Doll pairing (see 7/19).
This is 4 CD's of 74 Wall bliss. Hey, any show that begins with Scarlet can't be all bad! And the long extended Truckin>MLB>Spanish Jam is not necessarily cosmic, but very exciting and well jammed nonetheless. From the first notes of Scarlet to the last harmonies of Uncle John, this is a great party show. A different show than 5/14 or 2/24 but just as fun. Recommended!
Dr. Flashback ;-)

OK, this is my least favorite GD show. They never really seem to get started, just sort of idling in neutral the whole time. Stay away. If you want some nice '74, try 02.24.74

Great sound, great setlist and great performance.

There's something really special about this show's sound. Jerry's guitar work often sounds really nice and dreamy. The drumming style is really powerful and very nice (for a change at least) - there's a distinct lack of cymbals in many songs.

Check out scarlet begonias, row jimmy and china cat... you will see what i'm talking about.